Sliding door lock



Aug. 3, 1965 w. P. WELSH SLIDING DOOR LOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 4, 1961 Aug. 3, 1965 Filed Dec.

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' 55 )wifey/M9257@ United vStates Patent O 3,193,554 SEEDING DGR LQCK illiain l?. Welsh, Grand Rapids, Mich., assigner to Blumenthal Bros., line., Chicago, lill., a corporation of Iliinois Filed Dee. 4, 1951, Ser. No. 156,674 4 Claims. (Sl. 292-1117) This invention relates to a door lock, and more speciically, to a lock particularly suitable for use on the sliding doors of trucks and other vehicles.

As it is Well known, vehicles such as delivery trucks are frequently provided with sliding doors and in the use of such vehicles it is frequently desirable to maintain their sliding doors in fully open condition. For example, the sliding doors for the drivers compartments of mill; trucks are often kept open while the trucks travel short distances in the same neighborhood. lt is of course important that such doors be capable of being latched in closed position as well as open position, and both latching operations should be performed by a locking or latching structure of relatively simple but highly durable construction.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide such a door locking or latehing mechanism. Specically, it is an object to provide a door lock having a single bolt which is effective in latching or locking a sliding door in either of its extreme positions, Another object is to provide a door lock equipped with means for producing limited self-impelled movement of the sliding door in the desired direction whenever the handle of the latched door is turned. More specifically, it is an object to provide is turned. More specically, it is an object to provide a door lock structure in which rotation of a handle triggers the locking mechanism to urge the latched door away from its fully open or fully closed positions.

Another object is to provide a double-action door lock. for sliding doors which is oi relatively simple construction and is formed from components which may be stamped rather than cast. A further object is to provide a door lock in which the latching or locking mechanism is not directly connected to the spindle for the handles and, therefore, should vandals break either handle the bolt will still tend to remain in locking position. A still further object is to provide a loci: where the bolt cannot be moved by prying when the door is locked.

Other objects will appear from the specification and drawings in which:

FGURE l is a side elevational view of a door lock embodying the present invention, the structure being shown with the inside cover plate removed. The loli thus appears as viewed along line l-l of FIGURE 2;

FGURE 2 is a vertical sectional View of the door lock shown as mounted upon a door;

FGURE 3 is a broken horizontal sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FlGURE l but showing the lock mounted upon a door;

FlGURE 4 is an elevational view similar toFIGURE 1 but showing the lock in unlatching condition;

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 5- of FIGURE 4 and showing the lock in mounted condition;

FGURE 6 is a perspective view of the bolt-release cam;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the bolt-release member;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view in reduced scale illustrating the door lock in mounted condition upon a door, the door being shown partly ajar in solid lines and fully open in broken lines.

in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the numeral l@ generally designates a door lool; having a casing A, a bolt B rotatably mounted within the casing,l a pivotally movable member C engagable with the bolt, a bolt-release member D for pivoting member C, and a handle assembly E including a cam member for shifting the position of the bolt-release member. In addition, a locking member F may be provided for preventing rotation of the bolt when the handle is manipulated.

Casing A is vertically elongated and is provided with aback plate 1l and a cover l2. The upper and lower flanges i3 or" the casing are apertured to receive bolts ldor any other suitable connecting means for securing the locl; to aslidingdoor l'. As shown in FiGURE 8, the sliding door is supported for horizontal sliding movement in a wall opening 16 and rides in tracks which may be equipped with suitable rollers i7 or other anti-friction devices., The casing is secured to the inner surface ot the door adjacent the leading edge l thereof. A pair of keepers 19 having horizontally extending pins 20) project inwardly along opposite sides of the door opening and at the same elevation as the lock 1i?.

Bolt B is ilat and may be stamped from a heavy sht of steel or other suitable metal. As shown in FGURE l, the bolt is rotatable about a central pivot shaft 2l extending through casing A. Side portions 22 and 23 of the bolt project outwardly through side openings Ed and 25 in the casing, the side portions being provided with hooks 26 and 27, respectively. Hook 26 faces upwardly while the opposite hook 2'7 faces downwardly. Each hook portion also includes a bearing surtace 2d engageable with a keeper pin for camming the bolt into latching position, as will be described hereinafter.

The pivot member or arm C is pivotally carried by a pin 2@ connected to the casing, and is disposed in a lower recess 3@ delined by the rotatable bolt. As shown in FEGURES l and 4, the bolt is stepped to provide shoulders 3l. and 32 and these shoulders are adapted to be engaged by the tree end of the pivot arm to restrain rotation of the bolt in one direction (countercloclzwise, as viewed in FlGURES l and 4). A spring 33 bears against the pivot arm to urge it into bolt-engaging position.

The bolt-release member D is shown clearly in FY- URES l, 4 and 7 and comprises a plate 3d which is slidable vertically within the casing between a raised position (FlGURE l) and a lowered position (FGURE 4). A horizontal finger portion 3S of the bolt-release member is hooked over the pivot arm C so that as the boltrelease member slides downwardly it will disengage the pivot arm from the iirst shoulder or step 3l of the bolt. Helical springs 36 extend between the bottom of the casing and a pair of horizontal projections 37 provided by the bolt-release member and bias the bolt-release member into the raised position of FIGURE 1.

The handle assembly E includes a cam member 33 which is rotatably disposed within the casing and within a central opening 39 provided by the bolt-release member. The cam is carried by the non-circular horizontal spindle 40 which extends through the door and the lock and which supports handles 4i at opposite ends thereof. While handles with radially extending handle grips are shown in the drawings, it will be understood that other type of handles or knobs may be provided.

The cam member 38 is generally semi-circular in shape and defines a pair of ears 42 which are engageable with spaced horizontal abutments 43 providedA by the bolt-release member. It willbe observed that the abutments are engaged by the cam regardless of the direction of rotation of handles 41 and that upon such engagement the bolt-release member is forced downwardly against the upward bias of springs 36. Thus, when the handles are released, springs 36 are eiiective not only in returning the bolt-release member to its raised positions but also in swinging the handles into neutral positions.

The bolt is rotatable between a latching position wherein keeper pins Z@ are fully receivable within the recesses 44 defined by the hooks 26 and 27 (FIGURE l) and an unlatching position in which the pins are fully released by the hooks (FIGURE 4). As the bolt rotates into unlatching position, the cam surface Z8 in engagement with a keeper pin is shifted from a vertical position into an outwardly displaced inclined position with the result that the sliding door is shifted hor'montally by the bolt a distance equal to the difference between the keeper pin positions shown in solid and broken lines in FIG- URE 6.

Movement of the bolt from a latching to an unlatching position is produced by the action of a strong helical compression spring 45 which extends between the upper wall of the casing and a point on the bolt to one side of pivot shaft 21. The spring is held in place by a guide bar 46 which is slidably received in an opening 47 in the casing top wall and which is provided with an enlarged head 48 seated in a depression 49 in the bolt. Depression 49 is part of a larger recess 5G formed in the upper portion of the bolt.

In the illustration given, the locking member F comprises an arm pivotally mounted upon the casing Within the area deiined by the large upper recess 5@ of the bolt. The pivot pin 51 is secured to the cover 12 of the casing and carries a spring 52 which counter-balances the weight of the arm so as to maintain the locking arm in any selected position. At its free end, the locking arm is provided with an outwardly turned projection 53 which extends through an arcuate slot 54 in the cover 12. The arms free end is also provided with an inwardly turned lug 55 which extends into the plane of movement of the rotatable bolt B. When the locking arm is in its raised or locking position (FIGURE l), lug 55 bears against a side wall of the bolt defining recess and blocks the bolt against rotation into an unlatching position. To unlock the door, a user simply urges projections 53 downwardly to the bottom of slot 54 so that the arm assumes the inclined position shown in FIGURE 4. In that position, lug is receivable within an extension 56 of recess Si), thereby permitting the rotatable bolt to turn into its releasing or unlatching position.

Movement of the bolt into unlatching position is triggered by rotation of handle 4l which cams the bolt-release member downwardly and thereby withdraws the pivot arm C from engagement with the upper shoulder 31. As already described, spring 45 then urges the bolt into the position of FIGURE 4, and, in so doing, sets the door slightly ajar. The door, having been opened by the release spring d5 to the position shown in FIGURE 8, may then be fully opened by the application of a suitableforce to handle $1. When the door approaches its fully opened position, the keeper pin 2@ of the opposite keeper 19 engages the cam surface 28 adjacent hook 27 and cams the bolt back into a latching position. Since the keeper pins adjacent opposite sides of the doorway are spaced above and below the rotational axis of the bolt, a camming and latching action occurs when the door is urged into either its fully open or fully closed position with a force great enough to overcome the force of spring 45. As the bolt is rotated back into its latching position, the pivotal latching arm C returns to the raised seated position shown in FIGURE l under the force of spring 33. In its seated position against shoulder 3l., the latching arm prevents rotation of the bolt into unlatching position under the force of release spring 45.

While in the foregoing an embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in considerable detail for purposes of illustration, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many of these details may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

ll. A lock for sliding doors comprising a casing adapted to be mounted upon one face of a sliding door, a substantially at bolt extending along a vertical plane parallel with said door and rotatably mounted for movement in said plane and within said casing, said bolt being provided with opposite side portions projecting through said casing, said side portions providing oppositely-facing hooks adapted for latching engagement with suitable keeper pins at opposite sides of a door frame and being disengagable from said pins upon rotation of said bolt in one direction into an unlatching position, spring means provided within said casing for urging said bolt in said one direction into said unlatching position, a movable member mounted within said casing and engageable with said bolt to prevent said rotation in said one direction, said member being mounted for movement in substantially the same vertical plane as said bolt, and handle means operatively associated with said movable member for moving the same out of engagement with said bolt and thereby permitting rotation of said bolt in said one direction into said unlatching position, said side portions of said bolt being provided with cam lsurfaces engageable with said keeper pinsfor camming said bolt in an opposite direction of rotation into a latching position against the force of said spring means when said door is forced into its fully open and its fully closed positions.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said side portions are provided with cam surfaces for urging said lock and door limited distances from said keeper pins as said bolt is rotated by said spring means in said one direction from latching position.

fr. A lock for sliding doors comprising a casing adapted to be mounted upon one face of a sliding door, a iiat vertically-disposed bolt mounted within said casing for rotation about a centrally-disposed horizontal axis normal to the plane of said door, said bolt being provided with opposite side portionsrprojecting beyond said casing, said side portions providing cam surfaces and upwardly and downwardly facing hooks on opposite sides of said bolt, said bolt being rotatable in one direction into a latching position wherein said hooks are adapted to receive keeper pins disposed on opposite sides of the door frame and being rotatable in an opposite direction into an unlatching position for releasing said pins, spring means provided within said casing for urging said bolt in said opposite direction into said unlatching position, a pivotal member mounted within said casing and engageable with said bolt to prevent rotation of the same in said opposite direction, said pivotal member being mounted for movement in substantially the same vertical plane as said bolt, and handle means operatively associated with said pivotal member for pivoting the same out of engagement with said bolt and thereby permitting rotation of the same in said opposite direction and into an unlatching position, said cam surface being engageabie with said keeper pins for urging said rotatable bolt in said one direction and into a latching position against the force of said spring means when said door is forced into a fully open position and a fully closed position.

4. The structure of claim 3 in which said cam surfaces are adapted to bear against said keeper pins for lo References Cited by the Examiner Y UNTTED STATES PATENTS 151,096 5/74 Crocker 292-116 890,873 6/08 Robinson.

1,115,126 10mr seaman 292-118 1,544,960 7/25 Watts 2 292%98 FOREIGN PATENTS 867,209 2/53 Germany.

M. EENSON WOOD, In., Primary Examiner.

DONLEY I. STOCKING, Examiner. 

1. A LOCK FOR SLIDING DOORS COMPRISING A CASING ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED UPON ONE FACE OF A SLIDING DOOR, A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT BOLT EXTENDING ALONG A VERTICAL PLANE PARALLEL WITH SAID DOOR AND ROTATABLY MONTED FOR MOVEMENT IN SAID PLANE AND WITHIN SAID CASING, SAID BOLT BEING PROVIDED WITH OPPOSITE SIDE PORTIONS PROJECTING THROUGH SAID CASING, SAID SIDE PORTIONS PROVIDING OPPOSITELY-FACING HOOKS ADAPTED FOR LATCHING ENGAGEMENT WITH SUITABLE KEEPER PINS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF A DOOR FRAME AND BEING DISENGAGEABLE FROM SAID PINS UPON ROTATION OF SAID BOLT IN ONE DIRECTION INTO AN UNLATCHING POSITION, SPRING MEANS PROVIDED WITHIN SAID CASING FOR URGING SAID BOLT IN SAID ONE DIRECTION INTO SAID UNLATCHING POSITION, A MOVABLE MEMBER MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CASING AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID BOLT TO PREVENT SAID ROTATION IN SAID ONE DIRECTION, SAID MEMBER BEING MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME VERTICAL PLANE AS SAID BOLT, AND HANDLE MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID MOVABLE MEMBER FOR MOVING THE SAME OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BOLT AND THEREBY PERMITTING ROTATION OF SAID BOLT IN SAID ONE DIRECTION INTO SAID UNLATCHING POSITION, SAID SIDE PORTIONS OF SAID BOLT BEING PROVIDED WITH CAM SURFACES ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID KEEPER PINS FOR CAMMING SAID BOLT IN AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF ROTATION INTO A LATCHING POSITION AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS WHEN SAID DOOR IS FORCE INTO ITS FULLY OPEN AND ITS FULLY CLOSED POSITIONS. 